Congress buries past ghosts, and how

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11

Fighting a do-or-die battle, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh saved the Congress from sinking into oblivion in Punjab, where it had lost back-to-back Assembly elections.

Learning a lesson from the 2012 shocker, Amarinder went all out to ensure that his choice of party candidates got the ticket. He was able to rein in the rebels amid major differences with senior leaders over ticket allotment and also kept at bay his detractors within the state Congress and at the central level.

The strategy to reach out to a wide range of voters, including students, farmers and traders, clicked. Since he had served a term as the CM (2002-07), the electorate preferred him over the inexperienced but hyperactive Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The tough stand taken by Amarinder on various issues, such as the SYL canal, corruption, the plunder of the state’s resources, the drug menace and the worsening economy, won him the confidence of voters.

Political observers said AAP’s association with hardliners and the Maur blast a few days ahead of polling were key factors that made the urban and semi-urban voters drift towards the Congress. The entry of Manpreet Badal, Pargat Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu into the party fold gave a big boost to its campaign.

Pramod Kumar, Director of the Chandigarh-based Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), said the Congress was able to regionalise its agenda and promises, while AAP harped on vendetta politics.

The party’s think tank made the campaign Amarinder-centric, coming up with “Coffee with Captain”, “Punjab da Captain”, farmer loan waiver and smart phone campaigns to woo voters.

Potential ministers

With the Congress coming to power, the names of potential ministers have started doing the rounds. Though a senior leader said a formal discussion would be held tomorrow, party insiders said those in the reckoning included Manpreet Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Aruna Chaudhary, Rana Gurjit Singh Sodhi, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Brahm Mohindra, Tripat Rajinder Bajwa, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Vijay Inder Singla, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Razia Sultana and Pargat Singh.